The search
The opportunity to relocate with his job from Lancaster, Pa., gave Dave Bireley a chance to live near family members, who moved to Atlanta in the 1980s. He had grown fond of the style of homes in the South during his annual visits to the city.
“My vision of a home was the great ceilings -- vaulted ceilings, the trays, the double trays. To me, that was Georgia. That was something I didn’t see up North. If I had a home, I wanted that aspect,” said Bireley, 49.
He kept watching for the opportunity to put in his name for a job in Atlanta with his longtime employer, RR Donnelley. Bireley got the job and sold his home in 15 days.
He quickly began looking for ranch-style homes in metro Atlanta, focusing on Kennesaw, which is near family members and recreational amenities such as Swift-Cantrell Park.
“All my other homes in Pennsylvania, from a young kid on, they were already two stories or split levels, or they had basements,” he said. “I wanted something to simplify my life, and I wanted a ranch.”
No. 1
Yard for dog?
The three-bedroom, two-bath ranch on Monticello Way had a brick front and corner lot location in Kennesaw’s Legacy Park Highcroft subdivision, which has a pool and tennis courts. The high ceilings were what Bireley envisioned, with a tray ceiling in the master bedroom and a vaulted one in the master bathroom. The home also had a two-car garage, which was a must. The lot size was under a third of an acre, which Bireley wasn’t sure would be big enough for his German shepherd. The home, built in 1998, was listed for $139,900.
No. 2
Foreclosure near park
The three-bedroom, two-bath ranch on Daventry Lane also fit Bireley’s must list with a two-car garage. Inside, he discovered a double tray ceiling in the master bedroom and vaulted ceilings in other rooms of the house, which had new carpet and interior paint. The home in Kennesaw’s English Oaks neighborhood also offered access to Swift-Cantrell Park. He saw potential in the backyard, which had some shade trees but needed a fence. The home, built in 1999, was listed for $144,900.
No. 3
Spacious ceilings and layout
The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath home on Justice Mill Court was one of the two-story homes he considered to help make sure he wanted a ranch. His interest in the home soared when he saw the 10-foot ceilings on the main level. It also had a two-car garage. Kennesaw’s Liberty Commons neighborhood also had a pool and tennis courts, but the homeowners association fees were higher than other choices, at $800 a year. The home, built in 2001, was listed for $136,000.
The choice
No. 2. The Daventry Lane home had recently been put back on the market when Bireley viewed it. “I walked through the front door, and it was like my jaw dropped. It was the biggest, nicest family/dining room I could have thought of,” he said. “The home was exactly what I had been looking for.” Bireley moved quickly to negotiate with the bank on the foreclosure, and he closed in September, assisted by Cindy Wallace with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. The home also came with a two-year warranty on the appliances. “Now, I’m like, wow, I feel like a Georgia resident, and I’m digging it,” he said.
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